Source of Article:http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/12/09/China_starts_food_safety_campaign/UPI-27061228799888/

BEIJING, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- China, hit by
the melamine-contaminated baby milk food scandal, will launch a 4-month long
campaign intended to prevent a recurrence of similar problems.

The government's campaign, set
to begin Wednesday, will seek to ensure that all food products are free of
non-edible substances and excessive levels of additives, China Daily
reported.

"The tainted-milk scandal
shows illegal production of food products and the use of non-food substances
are not isolated incidents. Instead, they are quite typical of the
industry," Vice-Minister of Health Chen Xiaohong
said during a national teleconference in Beijing. "If these problems are not
solved, food scares are likely to recur."

The baby milk food
contamination killed six infants and sickened about 290,000 more with urinary
tract ailments, including kidney stones.

Chen said the nationwide
campaign on food safety, involving nine government departments, is designed
to cleanse and regulate the market and crack down on businesses using excessive
food additives.